Atalanta are disappointed, as Massimo Brambilla’s lads were defeated by Fiorentina in the Primavera TIMVISION Cup final that took place at the Stadio Penzo in Venice. Here is coach Massimo Brambilla’s and defender Giorgio Cittadini’s comment on the match.

Massimo Brambilla

Massimo Brambilla, Atalanta Primavera weren’t very lucky in this final.

“Well, no. I agree with that. It was a joke, as it arrived in the final minutes. We’re clearly disappointed. However, I think the lads had a good match, especially in the first half. We should have gone into extra time, where we could have fought it out. It’s a pity to concede in that way from a deflection, it might have been the only shot on goal they had. It’s a pity”.

This team has reached a lot, let’s not forget that these lads reached the playoffs for the championship title.

“Yes. Of course, we’ve had an excellent season so far. We’ve reached the playoffs, so, we’ll fight it out there in the playoffs to win the Scudetto, but this was an occasion to win a trophy. In the end, it’s the performance that counts at this age, I believe. It’s okay that we’re disappointed as we cared a lot. I think we’re a good team. We’ll play it out against the other teams in the playoffs”.

Did the lads feel too much pressure because of this fixture?

“No, I think they approached it in the right way, as they did well. Of course, it was a final which was a knockout fixture. Of course, there’s pressure. But I believe it was one of the best performances of this season against a strong team. It’s a pity we conceded a goal in the final minutes. We certainly deserved to score once at least in the first half. Unfortunately, we didn’t do it and we paid for it”.

Giorgio Cittadini

Giorgio Cittadini, there’s a lot of bitterness, we’re disappointed. But we must applaud this team.

“We fought hard until the end. Evidently, it wasn’t enough. But it’s okay. There’s still the league and we keep on believing”.

It’s a pity you didn’t manage to break the deadlock, as you seemed to be close to it.

“We had many chances. But, in the end, if you don’t score, you risk conceding it. The match isn’t decided until the very end”.

It’s a pity you didn’t manage to go into extra time as Massimo Brambilla also said. You could have had a few minutes more to play and to turn it around.

“Yes, we were more naive, in the end. However, it went like this”.

The disappointment is big. It’s difficult to talk about it in front of a camera. Giorgio, you certainly want to run to the dressing room with your teammates. But you’ve achieved a lot this season: you reached a final, and you’re in the league playoffs for the Scudetto.

“Yes, as I said, earlier, we’ll hold our head high starting from tomorrow, and we’ll aim for the league title”.

Giorgio, it was an important season for you as you also joined the first team. So, you gained a lot of experience.

“Yes, this year I was called up to the first team. I always do the best I can. We’ll see in the future what I’ll do”.